Cheap flights from Jaffna (JAF)

Northern Sri Lanka's reopened gateway at Palaly

Jaffna International, also known as Palaly Airport, sits about 16 km north of Jaffna city on the northern peninsula. It reopened to civilian service in 2019 after decades of restricted military use, with international status granted to support links to southern India. Scheduled passenger traffic is light, primarily turboprop services to Colombo and limited regional flights to Chennai when carriers have operated the route.

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Airlines flying from Jaffna (JAF)

Major carriers: Cinnamon Air, FitsAir.

Popular destinations from Jaffna (JAF)

Frequently asked questions

Which airlines fly out of Jaffna airport?
Domestic operators Cinnamon Air and FitsAir have run the regular Jaffna to Colombo turboprop service, and international rotations to Chennai have come and gone with various carriers. Flightmussy compares the live schedule for free, no signup, and surfaces small-carrier fares Google Flights often skips entirely.
What is the IATA code for Jaffna airport?
Jaffna International Airport uses the IATA code JAF. It is the only commercial airport for the northern peninsula, so there is no metro-area code to worry about. Flightmussy resolves both "Jaffna" and "JAF" automatically and will route through CMB when no direct service is available.
How far is Jaffna airport from Jaffna city?
JAF, also called Palaly Airport, sits about 16 km north of central Jaffna on the northern coast of the peninsula. A taxi or pre-booked transfer takes around 25 to 35 minutes depending on the road condition through Palaly and Tellippalai. Public bus links exist but are infrequent around flight times.
Are there direct flights from Jaffna to India?
JAF was granted international status to support short-hop services to Chennai (MAA), and limited rotations have operated since 2019, though they have been on-and-off. Flightmussy will show live availability when carriers schedule the route, plus one-stop alternatives via Colombo if direct service is paused.

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